Chapter 8 – A Wild Adventure
Despite her father's kind words and trying to keep a brave face as Terk bloomed with each passing day Jane felt jealousy and resentment slowly trickle through her bloodstream. She would then feel incredibly guilty at her envy, it wasn't Terk's fault that she got pregnant straight away and she hadn't.
Archimedes regularly did checks and tests on Terk, eager to learn everything he could about gorilla conception and pregnancy. As she watched him listen to Terk's heartbeat Jane couldn't help but wonder if there was something really wrong with her. Now that her father had mentioned it took almost 2 years to conceive her then would she have to wait the same amount time before she had her first child? 2 years … that was a long time.
It was a wait that she found incredibly hard to bear despite her father's advice on how to be patient. Tarzan didn't say anything, but Jane knew that he was anxiously waiting for her to tell him that she was with child. As she watched him play with the baby gorillas, laughing and tickling them Jane knew that he would be an amazing father, far more involved than any Englishman ever would. She felt helpless, she wanted to give him as well as herself what they wanted and she was no closer to it than she was months ago.
She made love with Tarzan once, sometimes twice a day but her courses still arrived on time and no baby quickened in her womb. Eight months passed and Terk was close to giving birth, gorillas usually giving birth after 8 ½ months rather than the 9 months of human pregnancy.
One day the weather was freakishly hot, the air so close and so muggy that even the gorillas didn't feel like doing anything, clambering for any cool shady spot.
"Hey Tantor, flap your ears this way! Give us some breeze will ya?" Terk groaned with the heat as they sat under a large tree to cool down but to no avail.
"Flap your own ears!" Tantor groaned, too worn out to flap them even for himself!
"Is it always this hot and muggy?" Jane asked her husband as she languidly fanned herself with a large leaf.
"Not often," Tarzan replied, wiping the beads of sweat off his forehead, "but this is the worse I have seen!"
"It's sooooo hot," Jane ran her hand through her sweaty tresses, "I am seriously considering cutting all my hair off!"
"It's funny how we used to tease T for being hairless," Terk mused, "now I wish we were hairless too! We're covered in it!"
Jane almost replied no wonder they were hot what with their hair being black, the colour that absorbs the most heat but decided against it. Terk being heavily pregnant made the heat all the more unbearable for her and no one wanted to say or do anything to make her more grumpy!
Jane leaned back against the tree trunk and tried to think of cold things to cool herself down. Her mind recalled memories of swimming in the freezing sea at Eastbourne and then she remembered her best friend Cecilia and the icehouse that her family had in the garden of their holiday home. Jane felt the saliva building in her mouth as she recalled the ice creams, water ices and sorbets served along with lemonade even in the hottest of summers. She would do anything for one of those right now.
"What are you thinking about?" Tarzan asked as he saw his wife daydream.
"Oh just ice cream," Jane replied wistfully, swearing she could taste the heady flavour of vanilla in her mouth.
'Ice cream? What is ice cream?"
"It's a dessert," Jane forgot for a moment that her husband would never have even heard of it let alone tasted it, "it's frozen cream sweetened with sugar and vanilla but there are many other flavours. It's very cold and lovely to eat in the summer."
"Sounds great!" Tarzan's mouth salivated at the thought of it, "Can we make some?"
"We don't have a cow to get cream or ice to make it into ice cream," Jane sighed sadly before fanning herself with the giant leaf.
"Afternoon children! How are you all doing on this fine day?" Archimedes called out as he approached them. Jane had to briefly hide her face behind her leaf fan at the sight of her father. Archimedes had stripped down to his safari shorts and sported on his feet long ivory white socks with some leather sandals that he picked up at a port on their journey to Africa and finally a knotted handkerchief on his balding head. The tan lines on his arms and neck created by his shirt were sharp, his chest creamy white decorated with a white tuft of hair and his lower arms and head flushed red with the heat!
It was a hilarious sight and Jane had to bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself from snorting with laughter!
"Hello Professor, we're fine thanks. Jane was telling us about ice cream," Tarzan replied, unaware of his wife struggling to control her giggles.
"Ice cream?"
"Yes Daddy," Jane finally managed to compose herself, "I was telling Tarzan what it is and how nice it would be to have some in this furiously hot spell."
"Oh yes," Archimedes nodded enthusiastically, "I would do anything for a scoop or two of ice cold cucumber ice cream!"
"Well sorry to burst your bubble but nothing here is ice cold!" Terk quipped at the humans, "You would have to go way up into the mountains or the sky to cool down!"
Archimedes snapped his fingers as a brainwave hit him! "There's ice on top of the mountains even in this heat! We can make ice cream up there!"
"But Daddy we may have some sugar, but we don't have any cream."
Archimedes paused for a moment, rubbing his chin in thought before snapping his fingers again. "We can make a water ice though! We have some elderflower cordial at the old camp that we can boil down to make a syrup and crush some ice. What do you think?"
Terk, Tantor and Gobu looked at Jane and Tarzan and they looked back at them excited, even in the sheer heat an adventure was too exciting to turn down!
"Let's do it!" Tarzan grinned, "Let's make ice cream!" Everyone whooped and cheered before they set off on their trip. They first went to the old campsite where they picked up a bottle of elderflower cordial as well as other equipment to make the water ice. They also decided that it was a good idea to change into more suitable clothes and shoes to climb the mountain.
It was certainly hard work, the gang sweated and huffed and puffed their way up the mountain but as they got closer and closer to the summit, the air started to thin and cool a little.
"Almost there folks!" Archimedes called out as he scrabbled over a large rock with the others not far behind him.
"We'd better be!" Terk grumbled to Gobu, "My tired, swollen knuckles and feet are going to explode if we don't get there quick enough!"
"Why don't you ride on Tantor?" Gobu suggested kindly, "Save your feet. Hey Tantor, you wouldn't mind carrying Terk for a bit?"
"Sure thing, Gobu," Tantor picked up Terk and placed on her on his back with great care, "anything to help our mother to be."
"Thank Tantor buddy," Terk was grateful but still a little annoyed at herself for not being able to climb the mountain as easily than she would have done if she was not pregnant. Even though she was looking forward to having her baby, she felt a bit left out as she couldn't do so many adventures as the others.
"Look!" Tarzan excitedly called to Jane, "White earth!" He ran over to it and it felt soft and very cold under his feet.
"It's snow darling," Jane smiled as she watched her husband lick it, "frozen water." She picked some up and threw it at him. Tarzan laughed and threw a snowball back and very quickly the whole gang joined in the snowball fight!
"This snow stuff is so much fun!" Gobu laughed as he threw one at Tarzan whilst at the same time being pelted by several from Tantor.
"Sorry to interrupt the fun," Archimedes called to them "but I have found a nice patch of ice here!" They stopped playing and followed Archimedes to where they found a large patch of ice, nestled in the rocks. Tarzan and Gobu set about cutting some of the ice off using a pick that they bought with them whilst Archimedes and Terk lit a portable stove and boiled the cordial in a pan to reduce it to a sticky syrup.
Once the ice was cut off and made into smaller chunks, Jane put it in a cloth and pounded it with a rolling pin to crush it.
"Here let me help," Tantor offered as he saw Jane getting worn out from bashing the ice. He put his foot top of on the chunk of ice and put his weight on it. The ice instantly crushed under his weight into perfect fine flakes.
"Oh thank you Tantor!" Jane gushed happily, "That was so much easier than using the rolling pin! You clever thing you!
"Aw shucks!" Tantor blushed at Jane's praise, "What are friends for eh Mrs Tarzan!" Soon all the ice was crushed by Tantor's foot and the cordial was now a thick and cooled syrup. Jane served in the ice in bowls and poured the syrup on top so that the ice was drenched in the sweet, citrusy, floral sauce.
As they tucked in, everyone gasped and almost moaned with delight at the refreshing, delicious dessert.
"Wow!" Gobu gasped as he ate some more, "This is so much better than fruit!"
"Yeah I must admit you humans make some pretty neat things!" Terk laughed as she licked her lips, sticky with syrup.
"Oh Janey-Jane, this is heaven!" Archimedes added as he lapped it up and Jane laughed. It was indeed pure, unadulterated heaven and reminded her of many days drinking of elderflower cordial with her father and mother in the garden of their home back in Knightsbridge.
"Tarzan darling, are you alright?" she looked over to see her husband holding his head a little in pain.
"My head hurts," he groaned softly and Jane's heart warmed at her husband's sweet innocence.
"It's just a little brain freeze, it will pass in a minute. Just don't wolf it down so quickly eh?" Tarzan nodded, quickly recovering before tucking back into his water ice, albeit a lot more slowly. Everyone enjoyed the dessert immensely and all of them had seconds, Tantor even having thirds!
As they packed up the cooking equipment, some small rocks suddenly tumbled down the mountain right near them and a shiver ran down Jane's spine as if someone had walked over her grave. "What was that?" she said out aloud but everyone else seemed unconcerned.
"Just a little loose scree sweetheart!" Archimedes replied as he packed away the portable stove.
Jane relaxed for a second but then she saw a flash of brown and black dart behind a rock.
"Tarzan!" she called to her husband, "I think there's something out here. We're not alone."
Tarzan took out his rock knife, intensely scanning the mountain around whilst everyone's hearts raced at the thought of potential danger.
"No sign," he eventually replied, putting away the knife back into his loincloth, "it's nothing. You probably just imagined it Jane."
"But I didn't imagine it!" Jane spluttered and looked around to see nothing. The others relaxed and headed back down the mountain but Jane couldn't shake off the feeling that someone or something was following them, watching them.
"Well this has certainly been a jolly outing!" Archimedes remarked as they pootled their way down, "We must do this again some –TIME!" Suddenly from out of nowhere, a large scraggy wild dog leapt on Archimedes!
"DADDY!" Jane screamed as her father and dog tumbled down the mountain! As they both got up the dog snarled, bearing its teeth at Archimedes, ready to attack with full force!
"Tarzan!" Archimedes cried in fear, "Help me boy!"
"Professor!" Tarzan then yelled his battle cry and ran down to save his father in law! But before he could reach him, the wild dog had locked its jaws on Archimedes' boot, its grip fierce and unrelenting! Tarzan leapt onto the dog, pulling it off Archimedes and begun to wrestle it. Quickly, he tucked his feet under the dog's stomach and with all his might launched the dog off the mountain that undoubtedly tumbled down to certain death!
"Oh thank you Tarzan my boy!" Archimedes hugged his son in law tightly, "Thank you! Thank you!"
"It was no trouble Professor," Tarzan replied as he helped the old man to his feet. "Are you alright? Did the wild dog hurt your foot?"
"Not at all, luckily the teeth gripped the gap between my toes and the end of the shoe!" Archimedes tried to laugh it off, "I am more than fine!"
"Oh Daddy!" Jane ran down the mountain, followed by the others and hugged him as tightly as she could. "Are you hurt?"
"Just some minor scratches and scrapes from rolling down the mountain, nothing major."
"Well let's get you back to the old camp and clean you up. We don't want the scratches to get infected now." Jane mouthed a thank you to her husband as they both stood either side of Archimedes so that they could help him down the mountain.
"I'm sorry Jane," Tarzan apologised as they walked down with Terk and Gobu on Tantor's back behind them, "I should have believed you."
"It's alright, you didn't see anything and you know this jungle better than anyone. But I don't understand why there are wild dogs here, they live normally in Sub-Saharan Africa."
"Sometimes they travel to the jungle when there is no food in their homeland," Tarzan explained, "it doesn't happen too often. It's mostly leopards that are our main threat."
"What's more unusual is that there was only one of them," Archimedes chimed in, "the African wild dog or Lycaon pictus from my research are highly social animals and live in packs, not solo hunters." Suddenly everyone's blood ran cold as several snarls were heard and they looked up to the rocks above them to see 10, no 12 wild dogs looking down at them with hungry, bloodthirsty eyes!
"I think we have found the rest of the pack," Terk said slowly, "and I don't think they have had lunch!"
"RRRRRRRUUUUNNNNN!" Tantor yelled and everyone fled down the mountain except Tarzan and Gobu who stayed back to face the wild dogs. They fought ferociously and with all their strength, making a great team in defeating the wild dogs. But half of them left the main fight and chased after the others! They leapt onto Tantor, biting at his legs who tried to kick them away causing Terk to fall off!
"TERK!" Gobu cried as the wild dogs circled his mate, licking their lips. He knew what they were after, a pregnant gorilla with a soon to be born infant inside, a great hunting prize for a pack of starving dogs!
"GGGGOOOBBBBUUU!" Terk screamed as the dogs pinned her legs and arms down with their jaws, one dog walking up to her, eyeing her stomach.
"Ooo I having been waiting a long time for this!" it snarled with an evil glint in its eye, "I love the taste of young flesh!" Gobu landed on the dog and kicked it away from Terk. He roared aggressively and banged his chest with his fists.
"Let go of my mate right now!" he growled ferociously, "And go back to where you came from!" The dogs snarled and one that was going to rip Terk open, smirked.
"Forget the pregnant one! I now fancy some prime silverback meat!"
They all leapt on Gobu, their jaws snapping and their claws tearing at his arms and chest as he tried desperately to fight them off. But it seemed that he was fighting a loosing battle!
"Get off our friends!" Tantor yelled and with his trunk hurled a pile of rocks at the wild dogs. Some of them hit the wild dogs causing them to let go of Gobu. Jane and Archimedes followed suit, throwing rocks with all their might. Tarzan jumped onto a couple of them and with his fast fists and the flying rocks, the wild dogs soon ran away, whimpering and limping in defeat.
"Gobu!" Tarzan cried as his friend lay on the mountainside badly cut up from the attack, his chest heaving.
"Go to Terk," he replied as soon as he got his breath back, "she's more important. I'll be fine."
Tarzan ran to his cousin, quickly followed by Jane, Tantor and Archimedes. There was a pool of clear liquid coming out from between her legs. She was clearly going into labour!
"Jane! Help me!" Terk gasped as her contractions came on swiftly and strongly what with the stress of the attack. Jane instinctively grabbed Terk's hand and held it tightly.
"You'll be alright Terk," she tried to keep her voice upbeat and strong, "Gobu is just a little scratched up. I'm here, right be your side! I'm not going anywhere!" Terk gripped Jane's hand, grunting and groaning in pain as she slowly started to push her infant out.
"Oh Jane! This hurts so much!" Terk wailed, "Gobu if those wild dogs don't kill you then I will!"
"Come on Terk you can do it!" Gobu replied as Archimedes tended to his wounds.
"Yes Terk!" Jane added, "Come on! Just a couple of more pushes!"
"AAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH!" Terk wailed as she pushed with all her might and sure enough her infant was delivered safe and sound!
"It's a girl!" Tantor cried in joy, "A beautiful girl!" Terk immediately and instinctively scooped up her baby and held it to her chest. Jane watched in wonder at how similar gorilla childbirth was to human childbirth from what she heard from her friends and the immediate want to bond with their child. Jane looked at the small infant, probably weighing only about 4 ½ pounds with pale grey-pink skin, sparsely covered with hair.
"She's beautiful," she whispered as the infant clung to Terk's front and started to suckle. Jane felt so stupid for feeling jealous towards this vulnerable and innocent creature and yet she never felt so broody in her life, hoping a baby would be in her own belly very soon.
"A girl," Terk smiled as Gobu with Tarzan's help came over and sat down beside her, "we have a girl Gobu." Gobu looked at his daughter, sniffed her and smiled.
"She's perfect," his face was the epitome of a proud father, "what shall we call her?"
"You pick a name," Terk grinned as her baby suckled contentedly on her breast.
"Keke," Gobu decided and all the gorillas, Tantor and Tarzan nodded in approval.
"What?" Jane asked in confusion, "What does Keke mean?"
"It means in Mangani gorilla tongue … lucky," Tarzan explained and he held her hand, squeezing it in thanks for helping his cousin give birth.
"Lucky is definitely the right word for this little treasure!" Archimedes gushed as Keke stopped feeding, "I don't suppose, could I? Would you? –"
"Of course you can hold her Professor!" Terk laughed, bemused at Archimedes being so polite. She offered the baby to him and Archimedes gasped as Keke grabbed his finger with her hand just like a human baby, her eyes looking up at him like two black shiny marbles.
Jane looked at them all, a perfect happy family and even more happy with its latest addition. They put Gobu and Terk with Keke on Tantor's back and they headed back to the troop to share the good news and recoup after the day's events. It was a family that was far from the norm back in London but she wouldn't have it any other way and couldn't wait for her son or daughter to join the Mangani clan.